Components

Shared game components:

• 1 Game Board
• 68 Creature cards
• 28 Artifacts
• 8 Wild artifacts
• 20 Ore pieces
• 24 Rune stones
• 60 Gems
• 15 Wild gems
• 1 First player marker
• 1 Die
• 1 Throne
• 28 Artifacts
• Rulebook

Game materials for each player:

• 1 Player Board
• 1 overview card
• 8 Druid cards
• 1 Scoring marker

Object of the Game

The time has come to find the most powerful druid, that they may claim the throne!

Players will take on the role of druids who must prove their skills handling the powerful rune stones. Summon creatures by magic and benefit from their abilities, all in a search to gain precious gems. These gems must go to the talented dwarfs, who know how to use them to make artifacts.

Attach the corresponding colored sticker to both sides of each scoring marker before the first game.

As their collection of artifacts grows, the druid's rune stones become more powerful. Each stone gives the druid a permanent ability (as well as power points). The abilities will aid in acquiring gems and artifacts, and the power points increase the player's chance of claiming the coveted throne.

The druid with the most power points at the end of the game ascends the throne and is the winner of the game.

Setup

1. Place the game board in the center of the playing area.

2. Put all gems (including wild ones) and ore pieces in the center of the game board, forming the general supply. Keep the die next to the game board. The throne is placed on the space 65 of the power points track.

3. Sort the rune stones by their front sides. Place one fewer than the number of players of each rune stone type (see table) on each of the eight spaces on the game board.

   
   
   

4. Stack the wild (white) artifacts on the wild smithy space.

5. Shuffle the artifacts face down and place them in a supply next to the game board. Then, randomly draw one artifact and place it face up on each smithy.

6. Each player takes a player board, an overview card, one set of druid cards, and a scoring marker of their chosen color and symbol. Additionally, give one gem of each color plus one wild gem to each player.

   Each player

   • places their player board and overview card in front of them.
   • shuffles their druid cards and forms a draw pile face down on the left side of their player board.
   • draws 4 cards from their draw pile as their initial hand.

   All players place their scoring markers on the starting space of the game board.

7. Shuffle all the creature cards together and place them as a stack on the designated space as a draw pile. Reveal the top 6 cards from the pile and place them face up one after the other on the six display spaces, from left to right.

   Exception: If any white dragon cards are drawn, set them aside and finish filling the display. Then, shuffle them back into the draw pile.

8. Randomly determine a first player and give them the first player marker.

Game Play

Rune Stones is played over a series of game rounds. The First player begins, the others follow in a clockwise direction.

The active player will choose one of the three possible actions to perform on their turn:

• Summon Creatures

  or

• Utilize Abilities

  or

• Forge Artifacts

  
  
  

After completing their action, the player may exchange artifacts for power points and one rune stone.

Then, the player '^refills their hand to 4 cards from their draw pile.

Play then passes to the next player. Play continues until one player has scored 65 points or more; complete the game round and proceed to final scoring.

Game Turn

First, the player performs one of the following three actions: summon creatures or utilize abilities or forge artifacts.

1st Summon Creatures

The player uses the magic points from the cards in their hand to summon creatures from the display.

This card costs 3 magic points

The required number of magic points for summoning a creature depends on the position of that card in the display, and is shown on the game board below each card.

A player may play as many cards as they would like from their hand of a single color, or a multicolored magic card, summing together the magic points. These magic points may be used to summon as many creatures from the display as the player is able to pay for.

Example: The player has 3 magic points at his disposal. He decides to summon the blue card for 2 and the green card for 1 magic point. He places the summoned cards as well as his played cards in his discard pile.

The summoned cards and all played cards are placed on the player's discard pile. Any surplus magic points are lost.

Multicolored magic points from dragon cards (white) or a druid card may be added to any color of magic.

Note: The color of the summoned creature(s) does not have to match the color of magic used.

Finally, replenish the display. Move all remaining cards to the right, leaving no empty spaces. Place one card from the draw pile on each empty space on the left of the display.

Whenever the draw pile is exhausted, shuffle the discard pile and use it as new draw pile.

Note: In the rare case that the draw and discard pile are empty, the display is only refilled when new cards are added to the discard pile.

2nd Utilize Abilities

The player chooses two of their cards in hand and plays these in front of them. They are not allowed to play one card only.

The player may perform the abilities of both cards in any order. If they do not want to perform a certain ability or cannot do so, that ability is wasted.

Note: In the rare case that a player has only one card in hand left, they can only choose the action "Summon Creatures" or "Forge Artifacts".

Example: The player utilizes the ability of the blue card first and discards a blue gem to get 2 wild gems from the supply. She then uses one of these wild gems to activate the second (green) card, discarding it to receive 3 gems (a red, yellow, and blue) from the supply.

The number printed on the card will determine what happens to each card:

• The card with the higher number:

  If it is a creature card, it is added to the general discard pile; if it is a druid card (i.e. a player's starting cards) it is removed from the game, and put back into the game box.

• The card with the lower number: No matter if it is a creature card or druid card it is added to the player's own discard pile.

Example: The blue creature card (21) has the higher number and is therefore placed in the general discard pile. The green card (16) with the lower number is placed in the player's discard pile.

There are 3 different types of abilities:

1. Basic Abilities

   The player performs the ability (1 or 2 depending on the card) as shown on the card:

   Gem - Take a gem of the matching color from the general supply, if available.

   
   

   Any Gem - Take any gem (not a wild gem) from the general supply, if available.

   
   

   Card - The player takes one card of the matching color from the display (if available), and adds it to their discard pile.

   
   

   Any Card - The player takes any one card from the display of their choice, and adds it to their discard pile.

   
   

   Wild gem - Take one wild gem from the general supply, if available.

   Die - Roll the die and receive the corresponding reward:

   • Any Gem - Take any gem (not a wild gem) from the general supply, if available.

     
     

   • Swap - Swap one yellow, red, blue, or green gem for a wild gem from the general supply.

     
     

   • 1 or 2 points: - Immediately score 1 or 2 power points.

     
     
   • 

     Ore: Take one piece of ore from the general supply.

     
     
   • 

     Card: Take the top card from the general draw pile, adding it to their discard pile.

     
     

2. Optional Abilities

   The player must choose between one of the two abilities to perform.

   

   Example: The player can take a red or a blue gem from the supply.

3. Swapping Abilities

   The player returns the gems and/or wild gems as shown to the general supply, then gains points and/or gems from the general supply as shown.

   
   
   

3rd Forge Artifacts

The player may forge up to two artifacts that must come from two different smithies.

When forging an artifact, the player must spend a number of gems matching the color of the artifact on that smithy. The exact number of gems is shown below each smithy.

To forge the white wild artifact, a player must spend 4 gems of any color.

Important: A player can forge only one wild gem on their turn.

Example: The player forges two artifacts. For the first he pays two yellow gems and one wild gem. He immediately gains an ore from the supply and places the yellow artifact in the lower power row, since there is a yellow artifact already present in the top row.

Then he forges a wild artifact by paying 3 gems and a wild gem. He places the wild artifact on the red artifact space in the top row.

The gems are returned to the general supply, and the artifact is placed on the matching space in one of the two rows of power on the player board. If there is no matching space, you cannot forge an artifact of this color. Once placed, the artifact cannot be moved.

You may place a wild artifact on the wild space or any other space of either row of power.

While forging an artifact, any colored gem can be replaced by a wild gem.

As an alternative the player can discard three ore pieces instead of the required number of gems to gain the artifact. In that case it does not matter from which smithy the artifact comes; it is always three ore pieces.

Example: The player discards three ore and forges a wild artifact.

Three smithies offer an additional bonus that the player resolves immediately when forging an artifact at that smithy:

Note: The player does not get the bonus if the artifact was forged using three ore pieces.

Roll the die - The player rolls the die, and receives the rolled reward.

Take one ore - The player takes one ore from the general supply.

Gain 3 power points - The player gains 3 power points.

Note: The bonus can potentially be used to forge the second artifact.

After the player has finished their forging action, draw a new artifact from the supply for each empty smithy, and place it face up on it.

Whenever the draw pile of artifacts is exhausted, shuffle the face up discard pile and use it as new draw pile.

Note: If the rare case happens that the supply of wild artifacts is exhausted, you cannot replenish the wild smithy. For the time being, the players cannot forge any wild artifacts.

After the player has finished their action, they have the opportunity to exchange their artifacts for power points and one rune stone.

Exchange Artifacts

The player may decide for each of their two rows of power containing at least 2 artifacts if they want to discard all artifacts from that row in order to gain power points and one rune stone from the display, or to keep them for later use. If they decide to discard the artifacts, they gain power points as follows:

Additionally, the player takes one rune stone from the display, and places it at the top of their player board. Each rune stone grants the player a special ability for the rest of the game.

If a player owns 4 rune stones already, they gain power points only, but not another rune stone. A player may not take a rune stone that they already own.

Discarded artifacts are stacked face up next to the game board, except wild artifacts, which are placed back on the wild smithy immediately.

Refill your hand

Finally, the player refills their hand to 4 cards from their draw pile, if necessary. Whenever their draw pile is exhausted, they shuffle their discard pile and use it as their new draw pile.

Note: If the player has fewer than four cards in total, draw as many cards as you can for your hand.

Play continues to the next player.

Example: The player draws two cards from her draw pile to fill her hand to 4 cards again.

End of the Game

The game will end at the end of a round in which a player has reached or passed 65 points (all players will take the same number of turns). Play then ends and players continue to final scoring.

The players now gain additional power points for the following:

• 1 power point for every 3 pieces of gems and/or wild gems and/or ore

• For artifacts in their two rows of power:
  

The player with the most power points is the winner of the game and ascends the throne of the druids!

In case of a tie for the most points the tied players share the victory.

Example: The black player gains 4 power points, 3 from his artifacts and 1 from his leftover gems. The beige player gains 7 power points, 6 from his artifacts and 1 from his leftover gems and ores. Therefore the beige player is the leader at the end and is the winner of the game.

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